


Forgiven

by vl19scriptfic



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Post 2x09, Screenplay/Script Format, also slight AU if Wilkes had died at the end of 2x09, perhaps a slight AU in which michael carter's unit was trained or stationed on the west coast, which we know he didnt but i wrote this before 2x10 so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 06:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6144004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vl19scriptfic/pseuds/vl19scriptfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set sometime after the events of 2x09. Peggy and Jarvis stumble upon a monument to Michael Carter's battalion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgiven

[[INT. HOWARD’S CAR]]

Jarvis drives. Peggy is unusually quiet, hands folded in her lap. The silence is tenser than usual. She glances out the window as they round a bend. A cemetery-like fenced area comes into view- a war memorial for Michael Carter’s battalion. Peggy, seeing the sign, recognizes the denotation of Michael’s unit. She’s surprised and sad- she hadn’t even known a memorial for her brother’s unit had been built. She sits up straighter, alert. 

PEGGY  
Mr. Jarvis, if you would, might you pull over for a moment? 

Jarvis looks confused but obliges. He pulls onto the side of the road nearest the fence. 

JARVIS  
Are you alright? 

Peggy squares her shoulders and forces a small smile. She opens the passenger door. 

PEGGY  
Yes, fine indeed. There’s just something I need to see. 

JARVIS  
Would you like me to accompany you, Miss Carter?

PEGGY  
Oh, no, there’s no need. I’ll only be a moment. 

She’s clearly not as fine as she looks, but she holds her head high anyway. Jarvis simply nods. 

Peggy gets out of the car, opens the creaky gate and walks toward the stone memorial wall not too far away. It’s lined with flowers and wreaths, along with the occasional candle. Jarvis observes from the driver’s seat as she walks along the wall, making her way almost to the very end of it. She stops. Despite the residual tension from their earlier argument, Jarvis is concerned. Peggy kneels down where she stopped and reaches out to touch something on the wall, too far away for Jarvis to make out. Her shoulders collapse and her head drops. She’s clearly in tears. Jarvis makes a split second decision- he switches off the car engine, pockets the key and gets out of the car. 

[[EXT.- MEMORIAL WALL]]

Gently, Peggy traces the name on the wall with her finger. She presses her other hand to her chest. Jarvis approaches behind her. If Peggy hears his footsteps, she shows no sign of awareness. Jarvis reaches her and kneels down next to her. He looks at the name on the wall. 

PEGGY  
I recognized the sign- Michael’s battalion. I had no idea they’d even built this here. 

JARVIS  
Who was he? 

Peggy answers without glancing up. 

PEGGY  
My elder brother. I’ve only just realized- it’s been just over five years. 

Her voice catches; she doesn’t continue. Jarvis’s earlier tension is gone. All we see now is sympathy and concern. 

JARVIS  
You never told me you had a brother. 

Peggy briskly brushes a tear from her nose. 

PEGGY  
No, I suppose I haven’t. But yes, I had a brother. We grew up very close. When I was first offered a job with the agency, I likely wouldn’t have taken it had he not encouraged me so intently. He- he was my dearest friend in the world. 

Jarvis’s shoulders drop; he’s realizing how sad she is. 

JARVIS  
I am…immensely sorry for your loss, Miss Carter. 

He rests a gentle hand on her shoulder. Although she doesn’t look up at him, she covers his hand with her own. A few seconds pass. 

PEGGY  
You were right. 

For a moment, Jarvis is confused again. 

JARVIS  
What about? 

PEGGY  
Everyone around me dies. 

Jarvis looks stricken. His earlier words hit him hard. His posture shifts and his grip on Peggy’s shoulder tightens. His speech is quick, apologetically so- as if afraid that despite their earlier reconciliation, she won’t fully forgive him.

JARVIS  
Oh, no- no, please, Miss Carter, you must know- I didn’t mean that. I didn’t mean what I said. It was a line I shouldn’t have crossed, but I did, and I’m truly sorry for it. I wasn’t trying to- 

Now, for the first time since he sat down, Peggy looks over at him. Her eyes are sad, terribly sad- but knowing and understanding all the same. 

PEGGY  
I know. I know you didn’t mean it. But the fact is, Mr. Jarvis, whether or not you meant it, it’s true. 

Her face drops again- she’s fighting back more tears. 

PEGGY (cont’d)  
Michael.. he was the first. And then Steve and now Jason- 

Her voice shakes. She pauses, steadies herself as best she can. 

PEGGY (cont’d)  
A great many people I’ve loved in this world are gone. Some I take more responsibility for than others. Nowadays I find myself grasping for more and more ways I might have prevented things that have happened. And if I’m being truthful, Mr. Jarvis, as you accompany me on missions and become increasingly sucked into this madhouse of a world of mine, I become more and more afraid that I’m going to lose you too. 

For a moment, they’re silent again. It’s an entirely different silence than the one in the car. 

PEGGY (cont’d)  
In the time you and I have known each other, you’ve managed to reach a part of my heart that’s been virtually dormant since Michael died. If you were to- if something were to happen to you on a mission, I don’t know that I’d ever be able to forgive myself. 

Jarvis’s posture relaxes, but his expression remains solemn. There’s a glimmer of hope, though- the usual Edwin Jarvis spark. 

JARVIS  
If I’ve learned anything over the recent years, and from Ana’s constant advisement, it’s not to make promises I cannot keep. And so in keeping with that, I shall refrain from making any such promises now. But I will say this. I’m extremely proud to be a part of the work you do. And for as long as you allow, I will continue to be a part of it. Despite recent events, I haven’t been frightened away. And you are far, far too unforgiving with yourself. Your desire to protect others does you admirable credit. But you must remember to protect yourself as well. You are indeed a hero, Miss Carter. 

Through her tears, Peggy smiles brightly at him. 

PEGGY  
And you are no coward, Mr. Jarvis.

A third silence. The most comfortable one yet. Peggy glances back at Michael’s name on the memorial. 

PEGGY (cont’d)  
He’d have liked you, you know. And I expect wherever he is now, he’s thankful I have you fighting alongside me. 

Jarvis smiles at the thought. 

JARVIS  
And I, for one, am extremely thankful he encouraged you to accept the agency’s offer. If you hadn’t accepted, I expect you’d never have crossed paths with Howard and further never with Ana and me. And despite that I know you think we’d be better off without you in our lives, I can assure you I only implied that out of anger. Something I wish I could take back. But know this. I am glad to know you, Miss Carter. 

Peggy’s eyes are bright; it’s the happiest she’s looked so far this scene. A bit of her fiery self shines through. She nods confidently and assuredly at him, and yet she’s clearly deeply touched by what he’s just said. 

PEGGY  
I reflect that sentiment entirely, Mr. Jarvis. 

They both smile. The air between them is unimaginably lighter than at the start. 

PEGGY (cont’d)  
I expect we should head back to the hospital now. Ana’s surely waiting for you. 

She stands, brushing dust from her knees, and glances one last time at the carving of Michael’s name into the stone. A tiny hint of melancholy returns. She turns to Jarvis and reaches out her hand; he takes it and allows her to pull him to standing. They make their way back towards the car. 

[[cut]]


End file.
